


The unexpected consequences

by Blazen



Category: Captain Marvel (2019), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Maria Rambeau & Minn-Erva
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-11
Updated: 2019-03-21
Packaged: 2019-11-15 19:27:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18079505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blazen/pseuds/Blazen
Summary: During the years Vers spends training on Hala to join the Starforce, Minn-Erva tries to get closer to the human to gain her trust, but it backfires.Most of the movie plot is kept the same, except Minn-Erva doesn't die in the end. Featuring Carol, Minn-Erva, Maria & Monica over the years, plus some other MCU characters to be added later.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: This is a Minn-Erva - heavy story, so if you don't like the character, it's not for you. It starts on Hala, so obviously no Maria in the first chapter, but she will appear soon the same as in the movie.**

* * *

**1\. Hala**

Minn-Erva always prided herself on being the best at what she did. Oh, she wasn't the strongest Kree, wasn't even the fastest, couldn't call herself a master of most weapons (swords? who needed those?), and definitely wasn't the best strategist. However, in the years of her training and after several field missions, some successful, some not, she developed a firm confidence in her abilities: those being marksmanship, piloting almost anything that flies, thinking on her feet when needed, and most importantly, following orders to a tee.

Thankfully, her confidence was shared by her commander Yon-Rogg and by the Supreme Intelligence, earning her a deserved place in the elite Starforce. Their trust in her abilities and her discretion was enough to send her on any mission, including especially unpleasant ones, such as capturing or executing a traitor. Mar-Vell was a known hero and a genius, adored by the masses, but Min never questioned her orders (how could she? they came directly from the Supreme Intelligence).

The priorities of the mission were firmly set: obtain the energy core, and if possible, bring the traitor in alive for questioning. Knowing that, Min couldn't really fault Yon-Rogg for the decisions he made that day, not for shooting the traitor, and definitely not for bringing the dirty human back on Hala with them. She _was_ the energy core after all, however that worked. It wasn't Min's place to think anyway, they had the Intelligence for that.

However, deep inside, in that corner of her mind that she dearly hoped no one had access to, she resented her commander, their leader and fate for inviting Vers into her life to forever disrupt it.

(_)(_)(_)

It took month until Vers had recovered enough to be allowed to mingle and even then her free time was limited to small breaks in her training and her counseling sessions with the goo (Intelligence, she was supposed to call it the Supreme Intelligence).

Even once she had the opportunity to meet new people, it was really hard to make friends, even casual ones. Yon-Rogg was nice enough, and she felt a kind of kinship with him, especially after finding out he donated his own blood to save her life that first day she remembered. But he was the boss, and whatever leeway he allowed her wasn't enough to feel comfortable.

The other soldiers were even harder to get close to. Vers wasn't stupid (only mind-wiped, but definitely not an idiot), and she knew why her future comrades-in-arms avoided her. 

Plainly speaking, Vers was a freak. Found dying on some backwoods border planet she couldn't even remember the name of (it's for the better), saved by the commander himself and given powers to boot, trained with the explicit goal to join the Starforce in a few years (the opportunity for which most Kree waited their whole lives). Not to mention, her empty brain didn't make her a great company for entertaining conversations.

So she endured the loneliness and isolation which felt both familiar to her and not. As if, in the past, she knew this feeling intimately, and yet, she also experienced something else, something she couldn't name, some warm sensations which didn't leave her no matter how much she tried to empty her mind as the Intelligence and Yon insisted.

Despite the cold shoulder everyone gave her, there was one exception. Not exactly a friend, but someone Vers felt was genuinely interested in her, not just what she was, but also who she was. A beautiful blue skinned trooper named Minn-Erva (or Minnie, as Vers quietly named the woman in her mind, not sure where the monicker came from). Minnie was a badass, no question about that. Could shoot a Flark in the eye from three clicks or fly an escape pod around a class two blue giant with her eyes closed.

Too embarrassed to ask, Vers still figured out from the comm-net surfing that Kree had about the same stuff between their legs as her, or at least half of them did. Thinking a little (and dreaming a lot) she also figured out that the other half wasn't really interesting to her, ergo, you could say that Minnie was definitely her type. For whatever activity they could potentially get up to, which was frustratingly unclear in Vers' hollow brain.

That was probably the reason she never questioned why exactly Minnie's treatment of her differed from the rest of the troopers. Vers was happy enough to have someone to hang out with, to fill the rare free moments they had with dry mission stories, a little sparring here or there, shooting practice and some drinking experiments (ranging from successful to ridiculous ones, the latter of which often made the stoic warrior crack a smile at her expense).

Sometimes, Minnie went away on missions, usually led by Yon, which left Vers feeling even more alone and anxiously waiting for their return (a wholly unfamiliar feeling to her for some reason). She used the time for more training, both with her body and her mind. Not because she particularly believed that her emotions were wrong, but because she wanted to be able to join her (kinda) friends in the field as soon as possible. Of course, she knew that the fight itself was important and noble, and she wanted to save Kree and other races from the plague that was the Skrulls. But why lie to herself? Vers simply wanted to do something for a change, to be useful, to protect Minnie and Yon-Rogg, and maybe, just maybe, to finally deserve the respect of the other Starforce members.

(_)(_)(_)

Min despised Vers from the moment the stubborn human refused to die and instead was repaired and attached to their squad. There wasn't a particular reason, except for all the undue attention the other woman got from Yon-Rogg and the Intelligence. Hours and hours of personal time invested in her by the commander, the undeserved power in her hands, which the simple-minded and undisciplined alien would never fully master. The unprecedented fast-track to the Starforce. It was enough to make Min toss and turn on her cot at nights, overcome by sheer frustration of the injustice of it all.

That's when a simple plan started to take from. A plan she never fully allowed to develop, instead fragmenting it and hiding among her other thoughts. Despite that, Min managed to start executing it with perfect precision, each of her actions equipped with benign motivation which could (she hoped) fool even the Supreme Intelligence. If she ever allowed herself to observe the plan in full, it would look very simple: “get close to the human, wait until her first mission, then make sure she never comes back”. What made it complicated was one important condition: nobody should be able to link this “accident” to Minn-Erva herself, the loyal member of Starforce, and (almost certainly) its future commander.

The understandable lack of regard her comrades had for Vers made it very easy to gain her affection. The pale straw-haired human latched onto Min like her last breath of oxygen after an open space breach. It would have been perfect, if not for a few complications. The first one was expected: Min's surface motivation was desire for sexual contact with Vers, which, embarrassing as it was, proved to be innocent enough in the virtual eyes of the Supreme Intelligence. Sex was allowed, as long as it didn't lead to any attachment, that could interfere with her mission.

That said, Min didn't plan on going through with that, even should the human prove amenable. She had a special device which provided all the stimulation she needed, without any unhygienic exchange of fluids. The real problem was the other, unexpected complication: her time with Vers began to change from something she made herself do to something she desired.

Min didn't understand what was happening, and the fact that she had to hide any deep analysis or observations from her conscious mind didn't help. She had satisfactory working relationships with most of her comrades, especially Att-Lass. They all sparred together, went for drinks, usually as a group, reminisced about various missions they participated in, boasted of the new weapon upgrades.

Compared to that simple companionship, enjoying her time with Vers should have been impossible. Clueless, loud, clumsy, her inappropriate attempts at humor matched only by her inability to hold a drink, the alien was everything Min avoided since her early adolescent days, when she had to search for people to satisfy her new cravings. And yet, the blonde woman was stunningly earnest, eager and trusting, willing to follow her lead, but at the same time, not afraid to challenge her. Min was taken off guard by the way the annoyance she felt at having to explain the most obvious things to Vers, changed to amusement and then satisfaction, once her pupil mastered some simple social skill.

Years passed and Minn-Erva found herself firmly attached to the human, not emotionally (that would be, of course, ridiculous) but socially, and being a creature of habit, she felt reluctant to disrupt their new routine. What Vers was thinking would be anyone's guess, except Min could see the dangerous way the human's brown eyes followed her when they sparred, the pupils dilated more often than not, her movements turning clumsy with distraction. Not even winning four out of every six sparring matches helped settle down Min's own agitation.

(_)(_)(_)

For the first time in years (in her life?), Vers was lying on her bed with a smile, not awoken by strange dreams, but never having slept at all. She knew she would pay for that, will get punched in the face by Yon again, or get a hundred laps for missing too many times in the target practice. But none of it could break through the happy fog that clouded her mind or the strangely pleasant ache that filled her body (some places ached more than the others). 

What she and Minnie did felt new and yet familiar, her memories a jumble of blank pages that still whispered something to her. In the minutes they used to catch their breaths, her heart filled with strange melancholy, even guilt. But that was perfectly fine, after all, their tryst was ill-advised, if not exactly forbidden. She pushed the guilt aside and enjoyed the novelty of the experience, the new way she was getting to know her friend, all the songs they were learning to sing together. 

Vers knew they still needed to have a talk, to establish some kind of rules so no one gets too suspicious. While there was no hiding anything from the Supreme Intelligence, and even Yon-Rogg wouldn't be completely oblivious to their relationship, she knew with absolute certainty that the emotions she felt around Minnie were not allowed. So she pushed them down, deep inside, almost as deep as her previous life must have been. With that done, Vers closed her eyes and slept, and in the morning, did not remember her dreams.

(_)(_)(_)

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: this chapter is still mostly backstory.**

* * *

**2\. Unnamed planet. Hala. Space.**

(_)(_)(_)

“Incoming!” Bron-Char's scream broke through Min's concentration and she let her reflexes drop her body down onto the rocky ground.

Raising her head slightly she let her eyes take in the battlefield. Most of her squad-mates have found some cover, except, of course, for Vers, who was still grappling with an abnormally large skrull.

Hearing a whine of a missile coming from the left, Min let her instincts take over and jumped up again, rushing to the pair and tackling the idiotic human to the ground, just as the explosion sent a concussive blast through the air, tearing the still standing skrull apart.

Vers, thankfully, proved to be of some use, rolling away from Min and bringing her hands up into the air, letting out a scream and intense photon blast which destroyed the attacking ship.

That being the skrulls' last escape vehicle, everything went quiet afterwards. Min raised herself to her feet, and gave a hand up to Vers, who still appeared a little shocked.

“Can't believe that worked!” the blonde chuckled, getting up, but still not letting go of Min's hand. The blue warrior felt a squeeze. “Thank you for saving my life, you know, again”.

Min jerked her hand away and let out a non-committal grunt. “Maybe if you finally learned to be more aware of your surroundings, I wouldn't have to endanger myself for your stupid ass!”

Vers flinched and hunched on herself, and Min felt uncomfortable with her uncharacteristic display of emotion and strong language. Before she had the time to say anything else, the commander approached them.

“You two alright?” Yon-Rogg asked, looking between them. As become the norm lately, his eyes turned sharp, as if trying to see something hidden. Min's face was stoic as usual, and she didn't dare glance at Vers.

“Tip-top, commander!” Vers responded, her bright, cheerful voice contrasting sharply with the air of death and destruction around them. Min just gave a slight nod in agreement.

“Very well,” he nodded after a beat, “let us get back to Helion. This mission was a bust, but I still expect both of your reports by tomorrow's evening”.

Both women nodded and turned around, following the commander back to the landing site. Min noticed in the corner of her eye that Vers' face was turning a little gray. Be it yet another close brush with death or the large skrull's exploded guts on the ground in front of them, Min knew what would follow soon. Despite her misgivings, the sniper quickly dropped her rifle and closed the distance between them just in time to catch the falling human and gently lower her to her knees, collecting her hair and slightly rubbing her back, as Vers expelled the contents of her own guts.

Barely wasting a second to wipe her face with a rag she always carried, Vers clenched her jaw and got to her feet, her quick, sure steps not giving away any of her inner turmoil. Min followed her silently, used to the display. The part of her brain not busy with scanning their surroundings went to work on her memories of recent events, turning them over and over, and sorting them out to create a version more suitable for the Supreme Intelligence.

A little voice deep inside of her continued to whisper something about a plan, but Min ignored it as usual.

(_)(_)(_)

Vers quietly hummed a forgotten song, as the public shuttle climbed up, taking her away from the Temple. Today she was on her own, as Minn-Erva had some family business to attend to, and Yon-Rogg was somewhere with the creepy Ronan guy.

Her talk with the Intelligence went okay, and she was cleared for the next mission. As usual, she tried her best to follow both Yon and Min's advice and empty her head of any unnecessary feelings. What was left there the facts: they landed, they fought and they killed a bunch of skrulls. Nothing special, nothing extra to report.

Now she let a little bit of her real self rise to the surface and immediately regretted it. It was weird, Vers knew for sure that her place was in the military, fighting the good fight, and Starforce was the best the military had to offer. But this certainty didn't stop the feelings of guilt, shame and fear threatening to break her down every time she got back on Hala.

In part, she accepted the emotions. The guilt of not being good enough, of putting her friends (her lover) in danger instead of protecting them, that she could deal with. It simply led to more hours of training, of punishing her body again and again, until her lungs and her muscles burned with fire. On some of those days, Yon stared at her with something akin to pity, and the usually stoic Minnie stayed with her for hours at night, silently running a cool hand over her heated back.

Perversely, Vers started even to enjoy this fucked up circle: combat, get back, report, train until she drops, Minnie, combat. What really bothered her were the other feelings. The feelings she always tried to push away, but they never went. The feelings of wrongness and another kind of guilt. They increased with every enemy she killed, with every ship or escape pod she destroyed. As if the ugly shapeshifters deserved her pity! It was wrong, so wrong to feel this way, but Vers just couldn't help herself. Maybe she was too soft for military and should quit while she still could.

But no, Vers would never be able to fool around on Hala while Minnie and the others were away, not now that she knew intimately (and remembered) the unpredictable horror of battle.

The shuttle jerked to a stop, and Vers found herself on the street, breathing in the cool autumn air. There wasn't a lot of trees in the city, but she knew that their orange leaves were turning purple and will soon be covering the ground beneath, before being collected by the worker drones.

Hala was perfect no doubt about it, and she was lucky to be able to live here, right in the heart of the Kree empire. Still, some days, her heart ached for her own unnamed border planet, no doubt completely destroyed now. It was stupid, but Vers dreamed that one day, in case they are ever on leave at the same time, she'll ask Minnie to take her there. Even more stupid (not to mention completely delusional) were the dreams of some faceless family members or former friends she could introduce the blue skinned beauty to.

Shaking her head, Vers sped up so she could get some flight simulator time today. Lately, she become obsessed with mastering the controls of every possible vehicle, including the most common skrull models. Whether it was some gut instinct or just the desire to show off to Minnie, she didn't know.

(_)(_)(_)

“Is everyone okay?” Vers' holo-projection turned her head as if to look around the commander. She wasn't hiding her worry with humor this time, which wasn't a good sign.

“ _Everyone_ is alive” Yon-Rogg said, stressing the word as if he knew whom she was really asking about. Min pursed her lips, annoyed with his assumptions, as if it wasn't clear how much Vers cared about the whole squad, even the ones who never talked to her.

Listening to her companion's report, the sniper tried to settle her thoughts which were in disarray ever since they took off that blasted planet without Vers. 

At the time, a part of her felt like she should be relieved, because with the other woman gone Min's life would slowly start to get back on track without anything or anyone distracting her from her goals. But most of all, Min had felt ill with a combination of anger and concern. It took all of her willpower to obey the commander's order and direct Helion away from Torfa instead of frantically searching for any skrull alive enough to be tortured for some information.

Now that she knew Vers was well, another concern was taking over her mind. The human somehow got herself stranded on C-53, of all the possible places. Probably Talos' doing. Which meant that one way or another, things will change between them, irreparably damaged by whatever hints Vers managed to stumble upon on the planet of her birth and death.

As the connection was lost due to the sorry state of C-53 nonexistent technological development, Min went to her bunk to stare at the wall for the next 22 hours, avoid Yon-Rogg if possible, and decide what she was going to do.

(_)(_)(_)

**TBC**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note: Something finally happens, and by something I mean a lot of talking.**

* * *

**3\. Earth/C-53**

(_)(_)(_)

“Hey,” Maria's voice is hesitant, as she leans on the door frame and stares at Carol's back. The blonde is sitting on Maria's bed, hunched away from the door, deep in thought and looking at something. Going by the weak light filling the room, it's the holographic device on her wrist, the first one the pilot ever saw outside of a Star-Trek episode.

“Hey yourself,” answers Carol, her head turning slightly in Maria's direction, but not enough to see her eyes. Maria doesn't know how to be here, alone with her best friend (always), lover (ex now?) and partner (also ex?). 

Despite all the proof she's seen, despite what her eyes and her heart are telling her, Maria never felt less certain that Carol survived the crash. In all of the six years that she waited and missed (and cried), she always expected the woman to walk up to their house one day, just like she did, to hug Monica, just like she (kinda) had, and to kiss Maria senseless (that part didn't exactly happen, now did it?). 

But this is not her Carol, this is Vers, a brainwashed soldier for some alien military force, who does not remember anything about their family, except for “flashes” which aren't worth a damn on their own, without context, without history. 

“How is Monica? Asleep finally?” asks Carol, as if trying to prove her wrong. The ache at this hint of their former routine is staggering, but Maria doesn't let anything show on her face. 

“Yes, I guess all that excitement tired her after all,” Maria says, sighing, and moving to the window, so she can see the other woman's face. 

Carol doesn't try to hide the image on her screen, that of a pretty blue skinned alien woman. 

For a couple of minutes, they are both silent. Finally, the blonde raises her head. 

“Can I ask you something?” 

“You just did,” the petulant cliché comes out of Maria's mouth before she can stop herself. Sighing, the pilot waves her hand. “Of course, ask away. Can't promise you an answer though.” 

“I understand,” Carol sighs in turn. Then she visibly gathers her resolve and the dreaded question hangs in the air. “What were we to each other, Maria?” 

“Best friends,” is her safe, automatic answer, the one she perfected for the outside world over the years. It's true, and from the look on Carol's face she believes Maria. 

“I know that. But is that all we were?” her eyes are imploring, deep, and Maria feels them all the way to her heart. 

“Why do you want to know?” 

That seems to be enough of an answer, because Carol drops down so she's lying across the bed and takes a deep breath. She pats the comforter beside herself, and after a few seconds, Maria joins her, their feet firmly on the floor, their eyes staring at the ceiling. The memories overcome her, almost unbearable. 

“I'd really like to talk about something,” says Carol quietly, “but I don't want to hurt you.” 

“Is it something important? Something about tomorrow?” 

“Yeah, kind of, I mean, it's definitely something you should know if you're going to be there.” Carol gestures up, reminding Maria that in a few hours is her first and probably last space mission. “Which by the way, you don't have to. I'm sorry if I pressured you into agreeing, I don't want you to risk your life if you are not sure, I-” 

“It's okay, Carol, I mean, Vers-” 

“Carol is fine!” 

“Anyway, I will be there on that jet with you tomorrow, and not because Monica said I should. Not even because you asked me to.” It's true. What kind of mother, what kind of person Maria would be, if she didn't think long and hard about this, caressing Monica's hair as her daughter fell asleep. “I am doing this, because it's the right thing to do, because I can help you and those aliens, because I don't want Dr. Lawson's death to be in vain!” (Carol's death to be in vain, but that part Maria keeps to herself). 

“Okay, alright then. I'm glad you'll be there. But that's not what I wanted to talk about.” 

“Yeah, right, I got that. So, who's the lady? One of your squad? Or someone waiting for you at home?” It's hard to keep the bitter tones from her voice. Not that Maria was celibate for the six years without Carol (not for the last three, at least), but there is no one in her life whose picture she would keep in her wallet, no one except Carol herself. 

“Um, yeah, she's in my squad. A sniper and a pilot, believe it or not.” Carol's voice is quiet, hesitant, but she goes on. “It's complicated, but you could say we are together, have been for a few years now.” 

“Okay.” Maria's tone is calm, but she wants the other woman to get to the point already, instead of torturing them both. 

“She's gonna come for me with the rest of the Starforce tomorrow. And I… I don't know what's going to happen when we meet.” 

“Well, I'm sure I have no clue either, I don't know her. What's her name at least?” 

“Minn-Erva, it's two words but anyway, I call her Minnie. She prefers Min, but sometimes she lets me get away with the nickname.” 

“Minnie?!” Maria lets out a short, almost hysterical laugh. “That's a good one!” 

“Why?” Carol obviously doesn't get the joke. 

“I mean, Minerva is a goddess of wisdom and Minnie's a cartoon mouse! But you have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?” 

Carol shakes her head. 

“Alright, so what do you think this Minnie will do once she knows you switched sides? Can we expect some help or is she one of those hardass “follow protocol” types? Or maybe she's a jealous one, huh? Don't want her to know you used to be my-” 

“I don't know! I don't know, alright?” Carol's agitation is palpable and Maria tries to get a hold of her own emotions. “That's not all though.” 

“What else?” 

“It was her. On that black box, the other voice at the end. It was her voice, I'm sure!” 

“You mean, she was at the crash site? She was with that commander of yours when he killed Lawson and abducted you?” This changes things for Maria. This is not just a new woman in Carol's life. This is someone who hurt her partner, who took her away from them. 

“She was. She's probably the one who shot us down, Yon-Rogg is not half as good of a pilot.” 

“And she never told you anything?” 

“No, she hadn't. Not a hint.” There's anger and grief in Carol's voice, and Maria can't help but feel bad. Selfishness aside, she'd prefer if Carol's new relationship had been genuine rather than someone using her and lying to her. 

“I see. The question is, what are you going to do? What do you want?” asks Maria. 

“I want to talk to her,” Carol answers right away. “I don't want to hurt her. I don't want to hurt any of them, except maybe Yon, but especially not her.” Her honesty is refreshing at least. 

“Then that's what we'll try to do. Without risking the mission, of course.” 

“Of course,” echoes the blonde. After a pause, she adds, “I don't want to kill anyone ever again. I killed so many, you have no idea! I'm a murderer-” 

“No! You are a soldier, Carol! You thought you were doing the right thing.” The words are easy for Maria, despite never having been on a combat mission, she knows what she would have done, what the old Carol would have done. What Vers had to do. 

“That's not a good excuse though, not to the friends and families of the skrulls I killed.” 

“Talos doesn't blame you, does he? And besides, ask yourself, did you enjoy killing them?” 

“No, of course not!” Carol sounds horrified. “I threw up almost every time, after the battle was over. I never could be as cool about it as-” 

“Minerva?” 

“Yeah, not as cool as Minnie. Maybe that should've been a sign. I always wanted to believe she had a heart somewhere in her chest. Maybe I was kidding myself and she never felt anything for me either, I mean, the Superior Intelligence wouldn't let us be together otherwise.” 

“The what?” 

“The floaty brain thing, um, never mind. Let's just go to sleep, okay, we don't have much time left.” 

Looking at Carol's familiar face in the dark and seeing the deep sadness there makes Maria want to fix everything for her, even knock some sense into that blue bitch, because she refuses to believe someone could have been with her Carol for years and not fallen in love with her. It took Maria less than a year back then, after all. But there's nothing she can do to fix anything right now, and Carol's right, they both need their sleep. 

“You're right. You can have the bed,” Maria raises her hand to stop any objections. “You need to be in top shape in the morning, and Monica's bed is big enough for two. My parents are in the guestroom, Fury can sleep on the couch, and I don't give a damn about the aliens.” 

“Alright.” Carol turns around and settles in the middle of the bed. “Good night, Maria!” 

“Good night, Carol,” she answers quietly, and leaves the room. Whatever happens in the morning, tonight she can be with her daughter. 

(_)(_)(_)

Yon carefully steps on the half-rotten wood leading to the small shack. Behind him he hears Minn-Erva raising her rifle and turning the scope around. 

“There's someone inside,” his trusted lieutenant reports, “one person, looks like Vers.” 

“That doesn't mean anything.” 

The sniper doesn't answer as they approach the structure. Inside he indeed sees someone who looks like Vers. The person turns to face them and there's a barely perceptible change in their expression at Minn-Erva's entrance. This could be Vers' reaction to seeing her mate, or a skrull's reaction to seeing their chance of leaving this place alive disappearing. 

“Took you long enough,” Vers' voice greets them. 

“We are alive, thanks for asking!” retorts Yon. Their banter is almost a lost habit, at least since Minn-Erva initiated her ill advised relationship with Vers. The woman herself is silent behind him. 

Vers starts to recite her personal code, but Yon stops her. The extent to which they underestimated the skrulls' technology is worrying, but he is certain that the Superior Intelligence will fix this oversight. For now, they have to be creative. He steps back, and gestures to Minn-Erva. 

“Whom do I see when I speak with the Superior Intelligence?” asks the sniper, her posture calm and deceptively relaxed. 

“You never told me,” Vers answers, her voice even. 

“What is the one place I always go to when I'm back from a mission?” continues Minn-Erva. 

“The orphanage where you grew up,” comes a confident answer, “but you never told me who is it you are visiting there.” 

“Alright,” Minn-Erva sounds a little warmer now, enough for Yon-Rogg to notice at least. “What do you like to call me when we are alone?” 

“Min?” now there's a little uncertainty in the person's voice and it's enough for Yon to raise his sidearm and pull the trigger. 

Ignoring Minn-Erva's startled shout, he pushes her away and approaches the fallen figure. Turning his head, he finds the sniper collected as usual. “What does she really call you?” 

After several seconds, the woman reluctantly answers, “Minnie.” 

They look at the face of the enemy where Vers' just had been. The skrull's breathing is uneven, the blood already seeping from his mouth. 

“What have you done to her?!” Minn-Erva hisses, pointing her rifle at his head. “Tell us!” 

“Y-you are too late!” croaks the skrull. Yon understands him immediately, but it doesn't seem like the woman does. Minn-Erva drops to her knees and presses the muzzle to the enemy's throat. 

“Where is she?! Where is her body?!” she roars. Yon-Rogg puts his hand on her shoulder, which thankfully is enough to calm her down. 

“She's not dead.” There's something akin to pity in the dying alien's eyes. “But she knows.” 

Yon almost flinches as the skrull's head explodes, the brain matter covering the floor as the sniper's finger moves. He's not sure if she intended to kill the impostor so soon, but it doesn't really matter. 

“I shouldn't have done that,” says Minn-Erva. “He knew something.” 

“We have all the information we need,” answers Yon. “She can't hide from us here, no, she won't hide from us. You know that as well as I. Now be quiet for a minute.” 

He enters Ronan's personal communicator code and the Accuser answers immediately. 

“There's a skrull infestation on C-53,” Yon tells him. 

Before Ronan can answer, Yon is suddenly tackled to the ground and the line turns dead from the impact. Surprised and angered beyond belief, he pushes Minn-Erva away from him, and jumps to his feet. 

“What do you think you are doing?!” 

“You can't just sic Ronan on her!” the sniper's breathing is fast, as she crouches into a fighting stance, her rifle inert on the ground. At least she's not trying to kill her commander, Yon thinks. Minn-Erva continues her tirade, “What if the skrull was lying? How do we know Vers betrayed us, even if she's got some memories back?! She's better than that! She'd never join the enemy!” 

“You are a fool!” Yon activates his Gauntlet, not fool enough himself to risk going against her barehanded. “You heard what Talos had been in her head, you know how devious the enemy is! And what do you think Vers saw in her memories? What if she saw what really happened that day?” 

“Then she saw you, not me. I can talk to her, convince her to submit and let the Superior Intelligence fix her again!” Minn-Erva's voice is almost pleading now, and Yon can't believe how pathetic she sounds. This is why the no-attachments rule is so important. His best soldier, ruined by emotions she couldn't control. Two of his best soldiers, he reminds himself. 

“If we find her before the Accusers arrive, you can try,” he agrees easily enough. “But I have to call Ronan in, as you most certainly know. The skrulls' threat can never be underestimated.” 

Yon activates the comm again, and Ronan's figure appears, looking as annoyed as the stoic Kree could ever be. Before they have the chance to confirm the mission, Minn-Erva moves again, this time desperately reaching for her rifle. 

The commander doesn't give her any chance, his Gauntlet catching her around the throat and squeezing long enough to shut down her brain. Shaking his head with regret at the fallen woman, he finishes the conversation with Ronan and then lifts Minn-Erva up. Let the Intelligence deal with her as it sees fit. Now he just has to find Vers because it really wouldn't do for her to get blown up by Ronan's missiles. 

(_)(_)(_)

**TBC**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note: this is a weird chapter, but I hope you bear with me. Also, just so you know, I don't have a beta, and English is not my first language.**

****

**4\. Tarnax IV. Hala. C-53.**

(_)(_)(_)

Vers doesn't remember how old she was when her parents died, but she must have been old enough to keep surviving on her own. In the busy streets of the capital city under the twin suns of the Skrull homeworld, she scavenged and begged for scraps of food and drank the dusty water from public pools and fountains.

Even among the other unfortunate and disgraced she was an oddity. A little pale Kree girl in the sea of green-scaled Skrulls and a few other races that inhabited Tarnax IV, all what was left of the formerly glorious Skrull Empire, which had stretched across half the known Galaxy centuries ago.

Now that a small fraction of the Kree fleet is enough to keep the natives in line, and the appointed Governor has an easy time collecting the appropriate taxes, Tarnax looks just like any other small planet on the outskirts of the new Civilization, far from the trade lines, and poor on resources.

The eldest of survivors still mutter something about death and destruction waged upon their home in that legendary war, and shake their fists in the direction of the opulent Governor's Palace which stands on a hill near the edge of the city.

Most of them are kind to Vers, maybe accepting that she was never one of their conquerors, maybe deluding themselves that she's some kind of Skrull prodigy, who learned to mimic at such a young age. That last assumption is dangerous, because shape-shifting is strictly prohibited for any Skrull unless it's ordered by the Governor or one of his lieutenants.

This is how her life goes for a few years, until one day she hears a loud crash right outside her latest hideout, followed by screams and commotion. 

These days she's staying at a small loft in a long, squat building full of drying fish. The smell is strong, especially after a hot, humid day, but she smelled worse (smells worse herself, probably).

The sudden noise has her jerking awake with fear, but her curiosity wins out and she peeks through a small hole in one of the wooden planks which make up the wall. It appears that a Kree shuttle has crushed and something damaged the reactor as the greenish smoke starts to fill the interior.

Some unknown instinct makes her climb to the ground and run outside, right into the danger. Other people are smarter, disappearing into their homes or back alleys, even the boldest thief not willing to risk slow death from radiation poisoning.

However, Vers can't look away from the smoking ship, its hatch half open from the fall. At first she thinks all the sounds have stopped: the reactor breaks down silently and nothing else seems to be happening. But soon, with her sensitive ears, the girl hears moans and quiet sobbing.

Not questioning the mad impulse, Vers covers her mouth and nose with a dirty rag, and rushes her small body through the opening. Thankfully, the emergency lights are on, allowing her to hone in on the source of the sounds: a blue skinned Kree girl around her age, maybe older, blood streaming from a cut on her head, her eyes unfocused. She's holding her left arm awkwardly, but doesn't appear to be stuck, just sitting there with her seat-belt on and crying her eyes out.

The green smoke is slowly filling the small space, and no one else in the cabin appears to be moving. So Vers reaches to her ankle for the metal knife (her most prized possession) and quickly cuts the belt, then drops the rag to free both hands and bodily lifts the other girl up, and drags her out of the vehicle and further, until her arms and lungs are screaming at her. She drops her charge and tries to catch her breath, but it's no use.

Vers falls and the last thing she remembers for a long time are the dark frightened eyes, staring right into her own.

(_)(_)(_)

Min has to resort to screaming and stomping her feet until her father finally lets her see her savior. The pale girl is still recovering, the damage to her body almost lethal without having the advantage of regular anti-radiation shots Minn-Erva has been receiving for most of her life “just in case”.

After a lot of probing and running simulations the doctors feel certain enough that this is really a Kree child, who has been somehow living in the streets with the Skrull scum for months or maybe years. It's what her father tells her, shaking his head, as if to say “look at what I have to deal with!” Min doesn't voice her thoughts on this, only asks to be informed when the girl wakes up.

She does, and they learn that her name is Vers and she doesn't remember her parents or any other life except the one she lived as a homeless street urchin. Her recovery proceeds nicely, and Min uses that time to convince both Vers and her father that she should stay in the palace.

(_)(_)(_)

A few years pass and Vers gets used to her new home and her new responsibilities as a personal maid for the Governor's daughter. It's not a hard life and she's rarely punished. Even though Min is prone to hysterics and sometimes is intentionally difficult, they forgive each other every time and become as close to friends as their stations allow.

Until the last year comes, and Min's father becomes grimmer and easier to anger. There are rumors of unrest in the city going around among a few bolder servants, and Vers loyally passes them on to Min. They sit and scheme at nights, using their imaginations to cover for the lack of knowledge as only two clueless children can do.

The last day comes and goes and then come weeks of hiding among the ruins from the newly formed Skrull militia and the last dregs of the Kree forces, ready to kill anyone in their desperation. Now that the Skrulls are free again to take any shape they want, two little Kree girls are just as likely to be the enemy. After all, how can a child survive for weeks in the hell the city became overnight?

But they survive, using Vers' half forgotten street smarts and skills, stealing rations and sometimes slitting throats of sleeping soldiers, because kindness is not something they can afford now.

As luck would have it, there is a treasure that has been hidden in the Governor's home for decades, something valuable enough for the Supreme Intelligence to send the Starforce itself to recover. While the Accusers are bombing the Skrulls' main headquarters in the mountains outside the city, the elite group of soldiers infiltrates what's left of the palace and soon emerges with their prize.

Vers and Min use what seems to be their last shot at getting off the planet and try to sneak upon the Starforce ship. They are caught, but not killed right away. After hours of questioning and prodding, the commander seems to believe that Min really is the former Governor's daughter. But it doesn't seem to matter much, because her father is dead and disgraced, after “allowing” the Skrulls' uprising which already cost the Kree unacceptable amount of money, both in lost taxes and in military expenses.

Still, even with their future bleak and uncertain, the girls cry with relief as they huddle together on the tiny cot assigned to them. Because behind their door they overhear the cold voice of the commander giving the last order to the Accusers, which is to make sure there's no living thing left on the surface of Tarnax IV in the next 20 hours.

And so they grow up on Hala, in the heart of the Kree Civilization, in a crowded orphanage for children whose parents perished and didn't leave any close relatives or enough money behind.

They are never separated and as they turn into adolescents and then adults, it is an easy decision to enlist into the military together, to get strong enough to protect themselves and each other from all the monsters in the Galaxy. It seems like fate when they are accepted into the Starforce, that same division that saved their lives all those years ago.

(_)(_)(_)

Min finds herself standing at attention in front of her first commander, their striking blue eyes contrasting with several deep raised scars criss-crossing weathered face. 

Their deep and slightly hoarse voice always had a calming effect on her, which is likely why the Supreme Intelligence picked them as its avatar for Min's sessions. Now that voice is uncharacteristically cheerful.

“Well done, Minn-Erva, well done! We have both Talos and the Tesseract now, and your dear Vers is back safe and sound, you must be overjoyed? You can smile a little, I won't tell,” the Intelligence's playfulness feels wrong, condescending, especially coming from the stolen face.

“Of course, Intelligence!” Min's own virtual smile is just as easy. “Will that be all?”

“Oh, just a moment!” the avatar exclaims. With a gesture, the world around them ripples, and another figure appears at Min's side. It's Vers, who's looking at her with wide eyes.

“How did you do that, Intelligence?” asks her companion, turning back to look at their leader. “I thought no two Kree could speak to you at the same time!”

The Intelligence chuckles. “It's not hard, when the people in question are as connected as you are! You've known each other your whole lives, haven't you?”

Vers nods, but there's a frown on her face now. Min's own emotions are rising to the surface and after everything that happened to her, she doesn't think she can control them much longer.

“Intelligence!” she calls, approaching the impostor and making a hidden gesture to Vers behind her back, one which the human has no business knowing. “What have you done to her?”

“Vers?” The scarred face in front of her looks surprised. “Simply listened to her report, as usual.”

“Stop the games!” Min lets some of her anger out, making another sign for Vers and hoping the other woman follows. “What have you done to Dee?!”

“To whom?” the Intelligence is almost done with its pretense, perhaps finally seeing that its plan didn't work as intended.

“You know who! Dee-Metra, my best and only friend, the one who saved a spoiled rich girl in the streets of Tarnax! The one who still works at the orphanage we both grew up in! The one who still hates me for joining the Starforce!”

Vers gasps behind her, and Min knows that the human's mind is too fighting the fake memories, implanted in the last few hours. But will it matter while they are both still stuck in the realm of the most powerful artificial intelligence in the Galaxy?

“She didn't hate you, child,” answers the avatar, and Min's heart drops. “She had quite a strong attachment to you, in fact, and guarded her memories of you with every drop of willpower she had. Wasn't really enough to stop me, but she tried.”

“What have you done to her?!” repeats Min, raising her fist in a futile attempt at intimidation. 

“I did not intend any harm,” the Intelligence shrugs, “but with all the resistance and the time constraints I had, her mind was irreparably damaged. I could fix her, I suppose, but it turns out all this time she was sowing dissent among her young charges, talking about the injustice of the War we wage. I have to let her go, to save them from her lies.”

Min screams and punches the monster in the face with all her strength. Her fist gets stuck inside the head, and she roars in helpless rage. She manages to catch the sight of Vers jumping onto the avatar's back, her own fists alight with plasma, but then everything turns black as the Supreme Intelligence easily turns her consciousness off.

(_)(_)(_)

It feels like no time has passed, when the sniper is jerked awake and sees the human floating above her. Looking around, she notices Korath, Yon-Rogg and a couple of unnamed grunts on the floor, stunned. Vers, who's is all lit up like an ancient jet engine, bends and extends her hand to Minn-Erva.

Not wasting time with pointless questions, Min follows her out of the room as they head to Helion's gate. She can see that they are parked inside another, larger Kree ship, most of her view blocked by some primitive aircraft, likely designed on C-53.

Suddenly Vers stops and pushes Min against the wall, her grip so strong it feels impossible to escape. Her deep brown eyes are not angry or malicious, they hold only pain and confusion.

“What the fuck was all that, Minnie?! Why did the bitch try and brainwash us both at the same time?”

Min shakes her head, but doesn't try to escape the hands clutching her shoulders. She feels tired, so many years, so many painful memories she had to live through again in such a short time. She still hasn't finished sorting through them to separate the real and the fake ones, but she knows she could manage that in time.

“I don't know! I never heard of the Intelligence doing shit like that. Your guess is as good as mine.”

They both hear shouts from inside Helion, and there's no time to have a real talk. Vers shakes her a little and desperately whispers: “Are you with me or not?!”

“I'm with you!” The choice is easy. Whatever she believed in before lies in ruins now, after her leader violated her mind and killed her best friend to play some game with Vers, which didn't even work. The reason she got captured in the first place doesn't seem all that relevant, because Vers is fine and all that transpired is yet another proof that attachments are dangerous. What matters now is staying alive and avenging Dee.

It appears the simple assurance is all the human wanted, as she lets Min go, and they run out of the Helion into the hangar just in time to see several soldiers bring in an assorted group of Skrulls and humans.

(_)(_)(_)

**TBC**


	5. Chapter 5

**5\. C-53/Earth**

(_)(_)(_)

“Let them go!” Carol screams, holding Minn-Erva by the neck, another hand alight with fire, uncomfortably close to the blue skinned woman's head. “Or I will burn her fucking face off!”

Maria tries to slow her breathing down, her brain furiously working to come up with some kind of plan that wouldn't end up with all of them dead.

She, Fury and the Skrulls have just been led into the hangar to be chucked out of the airlock, because the blue bastards couldn't be bothered to drag their bodies themselves had they just shot the prisoners. Here Maria is pumping herself up for some last ditch surprise attack (as if she could do anything against the super-strong aliens with her hands bound), when their procession jerks to a stop at the sight before them.

Right in front of the plane they arrived in is Carol Danvers, shining like a Christmas tree and holding her space girlfriend (now ex?) around the throat. Behind her the jerk-in-charge and a few other soldiers stand, having just rushed from their ship.

Everyone, except for Carol, appears equally shocked and confused. Finally the lead asshole decides to break the silence.

“Stop this nonsense, Vers! I don't know what you think is happening here, but you are in no position to be threatening us! You are outnumbered ten to one!” Contrary to his words, the man assumes a fighting stance, his hand on his gun, and the other one glowing with the green light he used to knock Carol out a few hours ago.

Beside him several Kree stand with their assorted weapons at the ready, while Maria's would-be executioners, distracted from their charges, are all pointing guns in her hot-headed partner's direction. An all around mess the likes of which she never experienced, but should have expected, knowing Carol.

At least Maria's mind is so busy digesting the situation that her fear and grief at the fact that she's gonna die and leave Monica an orphan are pushed aside. She throws a quick glance at Fury, catching his own worried eyes, then at Talos, who looks much more collected than he probably is. All three of them are restrained, the other Skrulls mostly children and civilians, and even that dumb cat nowhere in sight after her sudden escape from the cage.

“I said. Let. Them. Go.” Carol throws through gritted teeth, her face contorted into a furious grimace. “Or Minn-Erva is toast!”

“All things considered, I would really appreciate keeping my face intact, commander,” the other woman croaks, trying, and failing to tilt her head away from the plasma.

“You know that each and every one of us has to be ready for the ultimate sacrifice, Minn-Erva,” is the commander's cold response, “though after everything she's done for you, Vers, I didn't expect you to turn on her.”

“You worthless traitor!” one of their captors angrily chimes in, both of his guns moving in an attempt to target Carol's head without hitting the hostage. “Min saved your life dozens of times!”

“Calm down, Att-Lass, I don't want to hurt her, or any of you. Just let these people go and we can all talk like adults. Oh, how about you drop your guns and slide them over to me, huh? As a gesture of good will?”

“Don't!” comes the order from the big bad. “She is bluffing!”

“I said I don't want to hurt anyone, but I will. Listen up, you morons!” Carol sweeps her gaze over the hangar, looking at every Kree in turn, and giving a barely noticeable wink once her eyes meet Maria's. “You here are trying to kill innocent children and my friends who haven't done anything to you! Do you really think I'll let you do that?”

“Just listen to her,” Minn-Erva seems to give up her struggle and hangs limply in Carol's surprisingly strong grip. “We came for the core, what do we care about any of them?”

“Fine,” the head bastard shakes his head and nods to Att-Lass, “drop your guns, and then free the humans. Then you will let her go, Vers, and we can talk.”

The blonde frowns but nods minutely, watching as the Kree soldier angrily kicks his guns halfway to her and then pushes some buttons on his wrist which allows Maria's handcuffs to slide off. Rubbing her arms, she steps closer to Talos and the Skrull children, ready to get between them and the guards. In the corner of her eye she sees Fury doing the same.

That's when everything descends into chaos.

Using Carol's apparent distraction, the commander shoots her in the back. The blonde barely moves with the force of the plasma charge, but lets her hostage go. The blue-skinned warrior jumps to the guns on the ground, rolls over, picking them up and brings them in front of her with surprising confidence and skill.

It all happens so fast that Maria barely has the time to rush to the Skrulls, putting her body in the line of fire and trying to herd them back to the passage from where they came. Fury is not far behind her, using all his strength to push still bound Talos closer to his family.

The gunfire comes, but neither Maria nor the agent are hit, as she watches, stunned, all the Kree around them falling to the ground. Just as the last Skrull disappears into the passage, Maria crouches and turns, pressing her back to the wall, Fury doing the same on the other side on the door.

Minn-Erva is in front of them, her guns still raised, her jaw clenched as if she tasted something unpleasant. Behind her Carol is doing insane acrobatics in the air and easily holding several Kree at bay at the same time with powerful punches, kicks, and bright plasma flares.

Maria turns to Fury who gives a shrug and they dive for the guns of the fallen soldiers. She has to pry the handle away from struggling fingers, as apparently Minn-Erva didn't shoot to kill. Briefly she tries to catch the sight of Att-Lass but he's nowhere to be seen. She hopes Talos manages to free himself somehow.

With the odds completely changed, the battle is over fast. The commander escapes into his ship chased by Carol, while Maria and Fury, out of other targets, aim their weapons at the Kree woman who responds in kind.

“What did you do that for?” asks Maria, “Why'd you turn on your own?”

“None of your business, human!” Minn-Erva spits, “Lower your fucking guns, both of you! Wouldn't want to tell Vers why I had to kill her pets.”

“And why do you care?” Fury's voice is much calmer than Maria feels. They keep their guns level. “Didn't she just take you hostage?”

“It was a ruse,” the Kree answers reluctantly just as there are steps behind them and Talos emerges, now free, and immediately targeting Minn-Erva with a newly acquired rifle. At his feet, Goose appears, hissing, and the other Skrulls could be seen peeking through the entrance.

Sighing, Minn-Erva lowers her guns, and looks right at Maria.

“For better or worse, I'm at your side now. Let's just-”

Before she could finish, there's a humming sound and the Kree ship rises and launches away. Whatever kept the air inside shuts down and everyone is swept off their feet as the sudden wind tries to drag them into the void.

Maria finds herself clinging to the side of their plane's hatch, which keeps her from being ejected. Glancing inside the plane, she sees Fury giving her thumbs up, miraculously holding the disheveled Goose. Turning her head, she finds out that the hangar door is closed and behind the glass window Talos is waving at her.

Somehow the air is still rushing around them, maybe from the ship's reserves. Before she can manage to climb inside the plane as well, she hears a scratch of metal. Cautiously moving her head to look outside while still holding to the hull of the plane, Maria finds another survivor. Minn-Erva is holding onto a protruding part of the hull not far from her. The Kree's face is covered by some kind of helmet, but her eyes are frantic and it doesn't look like she's ready to start a one woman spacewalk.

Trusting her gut, and remembering that this person means something to her best friend, Maria stretches her arm around the edge and tries to grab for Minn-Erva's hand. It doesn't work, they are too far away from each other, but moving a little further out, she tries again. The other woman takes a risk too, letting one of her hands free and desperately pushing to meet Maria's grip. They grasp each other, but their relief is only temporary.

The combined weight of the two and Maria's unsteady new position cause them to slide further and further until Maria is barely clinging to the hull with one hand and one foot. She's about to let Minn-Erva go, because some random alien's life is definitely not worth not seeing her daughter again, when something slimy slides over her torso and with a startled shout both women are pulled inside the plane.

The nightmarish tentacles slide back inside the mouth of an orange cat, and Maria's wide eyes meet equally shocked Fury's. The agent is holding the cat (flerken?) who apparently just saved her life.

The plane chooses this moment to start moving on its own and Maria rushes to the pilot seat, trusting that their guest won't kill them in the next minute. Closing the ramp and starting the engine she barely glances at the Kree woman who slides into the second seat, and then in a surprising gesture, bends over to fasten Maria's belt before doing her own.

Quickly glancing behind to see Fury securing himself (and Goose), Maria maneuvers the plane out of the hangar.

(_)(_)(_)

**TBC**


	6. Chapter 6

**6\. Earth**

(_)(_)(_)

“We need to shoot them down!”

“What?! Like hell we do!” The human female sounds furious. “I'm not gonna shoot Carol!”

Carol? Must be Vers' old name. It brings back memories of when Minn-Erva did exactly that: shot her and Mar-Vell down, not caring about anything except following orders.

Min doesn't have time for this crap, but she's not familiar enough with the aircraft to try and take over. Her co-pilot seems to know what she's doing, as they never lose the sight of Helion, despite its random turns and attitude changes. Whatever is happening with Yon-Rogg and Vers, none of them have gotten the upper hand yet.

“Vers will be fine! You have no idea how tough she really is!”

“Oh believe me, honey, I do! It's you who don't know anything about her, you two faced piece of shit!”

“Okay, how about we all calm down?” The male behind them interferes.

“Shut up!” They scream at him in unison. Somehow this helps to diffuse the argument, if only temporarily.

“Listen, whatever your name is-”

“Maria!”

“Fine, Maria, we can't allow Yon-Rogg to leave the planet, especially with Vers! You can't imagine what kind of danger she'd be in on Hala! Besides, do you really want the Supreme Intelligence to get its hands on the Core?”

“Supreme Intelligence? What's this, a Kree spy agency?”

While they are arguing, Helion suddenly takes a nosedive. Whoever has come on top inside, the fight managed to damage the controls badly enough.

Maria glares at her and dives down as well, precisely following the ship's trajectory. However, before they can close the distance, there's an alarm beeping on her comm and Min has another problem to worry about.

“Be quiet!” She warns the humans, while entering the code. Ronan's figure appears above her wrist in a second. He never puts people on hold, she'll give him that.

“Minn-Erva.” He greets her in his usual emotionless drawl. “Where is Yon-Rogg? We are deploying the missiles.”

“Wait! Don't do it yet!” Min takes a deep breath and tries to keep her agitation at bay. “Yon-Rogg is on the surface somewhere, he's chasing down a hostile and an extremely valuable energy core! I'm following them in a shuttle.”

“I see,” the Accuser responds, “and why should I trust this information? You could be a Skrull in disguise trying to delay me so your comrades could escape. I'm deploying the missiles.”

“I'm not a fucking Skrull!” Minn-Erva screams. Lowering her voice, she continues, “If you destroy the Core, the Supreme Intelligence would not appreciate it.”

“I know the object you are speaking of, and believe me, it won't be harmed by our weapons. We will recover it once our main goal is achieved and this group of Skrulls is a threat no more. As for Yon-Rogg, he was given enough chances. His tactics proved to be ineffective. It's over, Minn-Erva.”

Ronan disconnects. Min curses under her breath, earning her a look from Maria. The other woman is still attempting to follow Helion, which is now flying almost parallel to the ground at an alarming speed.

“Turn back.” Min's voice is deadly quiet. “Turn back, we need to return to the orbit.”

“What the hell?” Maria slows down a little, but doesn't follow Min's order. “Who was that man? What missiles?”

“It's Ronan the Accuser, and in a few minutes he's going to destroy every living thing on the surface of this planet.”

“Shit!” The human finally listens to her and makes a sharp turn, heading back to where they came from. Min checks her nav system and confirms that the Accusers have arrived almost to the same coordinates as the mysterious cruiser the three of them just escaped.

“Exactly. If we are lucky we can delay the destruction just a little. What kind of weapons do you have on board?”

“Only machine guns. They launch metal projectiles using chemical reaction for the momentum” Maria explains correctly guessing Min's initial incomprehension.

“That's not enough. Show me how the flight controls work on this thing.”

“Why?” Comes the suspicious question.

“I can try ramming this craft into the first group of missiles, Ronan usually launches them close together because he's as dull as his war-hammer. The two of you should jump while you still can, you'd have a small chance of surviving for a few minutes until the next strike comes. How good are your planetary defenses?”

“Our air defense is good, but you are right, we need to give them more time,” the man answers. “Rambeau, let me to the radio and go strap on a parachute!”

“No way, Fury! And you, Minnie, you won't be able to fly this bird just like that, no matter how good you are. If there's a chance we can save the people down there, save my daughter, we go together!”

A daughter. Of course. Maybe the Supreme Intelligence was right and all attachments were a weakness. But then, why would it use Min's own history with Dee to try and bind Vers to her in some perverse game? 

And why exactly is this woman calling her by the annoying monicker Vers invented?

Shaking her head to get back in the game, the sniper nods. So this is how it's going to be.

(_)(_)(_)

They don't die after all and Maria is grateful for that. 

The machine guns turn out to be more powerful than she thought, either thanks to the Doc or to the Skrull engineer. She pilots the bird, while Minn-Erva shoots the missiles out of the sky with impressive precision.

Talos arrives in a Kree shuttle and joins in on the fun, his weapons more powerful and effective, but his aim or flying skills not nearly as good.

And Carol. Oh, Carol is beautiful. She always had been and Maria's heartfelt (and a little embarrassing) public declaration yesterday wasn't nearly enough to express her feelings about her best friend.

Anyway, while Carol had always been a force to be reckoned with, now she's downright unstoppable.

Maria is almost ready to enact Minn-Erva's desperate plan and ram their little plane into the nearest missile, when there's a bright flash in front of them and the missile just stops. Barely avoiding the obstacle, she sees a red and blue figure of her partner holding the rocked in place with her bare hands. Then Maria loses the sight of her while turning the plane around, but when she finishes the maneuver all the missiles are destroyed and they can only watch in stunned silence the distant explosions in the sky, where Carol fucking Danvers is apparently blowing up spaceships as easily as popping water balloons.

The anti-missile defense comes through thanks to Fury's call, but their rockets are too slow and by the time they get there it's over and Carol has to destroy them too so they don't blow up Maria and the others.

The bad news is, while Carol is distracted protecting the Earth, Yon-Rogg escapes in his ship. The good news is, he doesn't have the Core, or the Tesseract, with him. Though Carol, being Carol, got the brilliant idea to simply throw it out of the ship while they were fighting, so now it could be lying somewhere in the desert or under the ocean. 

Not that Maria cares about any of that. She's fine, Carol is fine and Monica is fine too. Let Fury and the government sort the rest of it out.

(_)(_)(_)

**TBC**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's note: This is a little short and also I did a time-skip. Sorry?**

**7\. Los Angeles, California**

(_)(_)(_)

Maria's feet don't make any sound as she follows the carpeted hallway of a new (and very nice) apartment complex which S.H.I.E.L.D. is using to house some of their personnel. It's been a few months already, but the pilot still hasn't gotten used to living in the city, when so much of her life had been spent in rural Louisiana, first with her parents and then with Monica.

Moving has been hard on both her and her daughter, but Maria doesn't regret accepting Fury's offer. Chances like that don't come knocking every day, especially not for the likes of her. A stable job where she gets to do something she loves, not to mention the pay and the free rent for a large apartment in a better part of LA, she's finally doing right by Monica, giving her opportunities which the girl would have never gotten back home.

And if they both have to make a few sacrifices along the way, well. Looking back at the last six years, Maria has to admit that she put her life on hold after Carol's disappearance. Forced on indefinite leave (effectively discharged) due to the cover-up, part grieving and part waiting for her partner and co-parent to miraculously return, she wasn't in the right state of mind. Now that Carol is alive (wherever she is) it's time to be an adult and make adult decisions.

Someone may think that her gig with the mysterious agency is too good to be true. There are so many pilots with more experience, better qualifications (or rather, white and male) who could have been in her place. But apparently taking part in defending Earth from aliens, however briefly, is enough to convince Fury's bosses, and let's face it, she is a damn good pilot! Besides, testing alien-engineered planes has been her job for years under Doc Lawson (or Mar-Vell) even if Maria herself didn't know just how advanced the tech really was.

Of course, there's another part of her job she is not as thrilled with. It's her babysitting duties, which Carol really had no right to saddle her with. Not with the way she just up and left them a second time, even if it was for a good cause.

Maria shakes her head to get rid of unwanted resentment and unlocks her door, hoping against hope that there's no accidents or newly broken things this time.

The sight that greets her is enough to stop the woman in her tracks. Oblivious to everything, her roommate is dancing around the living room, vacuum in hand, headphones connected to Maria's walkman covering her ears. In an old t-shirt, leggings and flip-flops, Minn-Erva is cleaning their apartment as if she's been doing housework her whole life. Maria's eyes involuntarily move to the shapely backside, accentuated by the tight pants, which is bouncing in tact with inaudible music, one blue foot tapping as the vacuum moves along the floor.

As Maria gazes on, stunned by the unexpected scene, the other woman suddenly lifts the side of a large couch with one hand, and starts vacuuming under. Unfortunately, this is just the moment when Minn-Erva glances back and noticed Maria, which results in the couch crashing to the floor with a thud, as the Kree sniper points the vacuum at her threateningly with one hand, while angrily tearing off her headphones with the other.

“Don't sneak up on me like that!”

“Or what?” Maria can't help but chuckle, “You'll vacuum me to death?”

“Oh, shut up!” Minn-Erva drops the harmless device to the couch and storms off in the direction of the bathroom. For a moment, Maria regrets her attitude and the whole creepily staring thing, but then shrugs and moves on in search of her daughter.

Monica is actually doing her homework, also with headphones on. Seeing Maria enter her room, the girl smiles and takes them off, putting her pen down and moving in for a hug. As they end the embrace and perch on Monica's bed, Maria's voice is light and teasing:

“How did you manage to make Minn-Erva take over your chores this time?”

Monica shrugs, her own smile a little bashful. “Mario Kart.”

At Maria's questioning glance, she elaborates:

“We were playing Mario Kart after lunch and she wanted me to do the dishes for her, so she bet on winning three out of five games. But she lost three instead.”

Maria doesn't know whether she should be proud of her daughter or annoyed with her for gambling on house chores. Finally, she decided to be annoyed with Minn-Erva instead, for behaving more like a child than the actual child in their house.

“Alright, honey, you finish your homework and I'll go wash up, then we'll think of something for dinner.”

After putting her keys and wallet in her room and taking a change of clothes, Maria walks to the bathroom. On the way she peeks into the kitchen only to see the Kree peeling a raw potato at the table. Not acknowledging her presence, the other woman finishes her task and bites into the tuber, chewing noisily. Scrunching her nose at the alien's weird eating habits, Maria makes a coughing sound, and seeing the dark eyes reluctantly turning in her direction, speaks.

“I have some good news for you, when you are ready to stop pouting. If you put some frozen lasagna in the oven, I can tell you over dinner, how does that sound?”

“Fine.” Minn-Erva answers after a pause and waves a dismissive hand. “Go take your shower or whatever.”

Shaking her head, Maria leaves to do just that. Now that Fury finally cleared the former Kree commando for a semi-permanent position as S.H.I.E.L.D.'s main consultant in all matters alien, they are going to see each other at work as well, and the pilot really has no idea how they'll survive that much time together. But unless Carol drops from the sky in the next few days and takes her space ex off Maria's hands, she'll just have to try and play nice.

(_)(_)(_)

**TBC**


End file.
